


The Journal

by noviceateverything



Series: Magic Sense [2]
Category: Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch, Sense8 (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-01 15:15:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10924470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noviceateverything/pseuds/noviceateverything
Summary: Excerpts from the journal Thomas gave to Peter.





	1. 1921

21 January, 1921

Mr. Henry Boatright came to see me at the Folly today. Last I had heard, he was still in Scotland working on his _vestigium_ survey. But after what happened to me on New Year’s Day, he was called back to help me. He told me a great many things about this second birth of mine. 

After he talked at me for half the day, I think that pain in my head is returning. 

Our father also told us a great many things and not all of them agree with what Mr. Boatright told me. I’m not sure who is right. A few of the others also had elders come speak to them, and they don’t all agree either. I haven’t felt this uncertain since my first week at Casterbrook. 

I am writing down what I can remember. I’ll have to sort out who is right later.

\- Cluster. This is what Mr. Boatright said we are called as a group. 

\- We were all born at the same time. Mr. Boatright and our father agree on this one. Some of the others don’t use the Gregorian calendar, but near as we can tell, we’ve all lived the same amount of time. So I suppose they are right.

\- We can visit other people outside of our cluster. But they have to be like us as well, been born a second time. And have met us eye to eye. Mr. Boatright gave me a demonstration. He was at the other end of the hall and visited next to me at the same time. He said when he gets back to Scotland, he’ll show me the next site he investigates. 

\- We must be kept a secret. The Folly obviously knows about us. There have always been a few wizards that are twice-born in each generation. But it’s not common knowledge. Just the Headmaster at Casterbrook and the Master of the Folly are told. Are we considered fae then? And to be kept secret like the rest of them? But we are born of not fae. How can that be? I wish I could tell David about us so he can do a study. Though on second thought, perhaps it’s best he doesn’t put me under a microscope.

\- Meeting a cluster mate in person can be an interesting experience. Our father said he’s not had the chance to travel, but two of his cluster mates were able to meet. He tried to describe the feeling to us, but I’m not sure he knew how. He encouraged us to find ways to meet. I think I’ll look into joining the Foreign Office again. And Zama already works on an ocean liner. So there’s hope. 

\- Sometimes we’ll meet those that are not yet twice-born but can be someday, and feel a kind of recognition. Mr. Boatright described it as similar to recognizing a _signare_. Father described it as an instant kinship. As if meeting a long lost cousin. We can see the family resemblance. I’m not sure I understand. I suppose I’ll have to wait until I meet a _potentia_ to find out. 

\- We can understand each other’s languages. I know some Arabic from my studies, but never really heard it spoken. But when I was with Safiya, I understood everything her family said to her as if they were speaking English. It’s the same with all the others. A strange feeling at first, but I think we all became accustomed by now.

\- I’m not to teach my cluster mates magic. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to accomplish this. I asked Mr. Boatright how he kept it from his cluster. He just repeated sternly that this is the Folly’s rule. I don’t think he kept it from his cluster. He just didn’t want to admit it to me. If I can now recite from the Mahabharata and embroider and shoot a gun and play the piano and who knows what else, surely the others can cast a werelight. I’ve asked the others to be discreet.


	2. 1926

24 November, 1926

I finally told David about us yesterday. 

It probably wouldn’t have stayed a secret this long if I hadn’t been travelling on Foreign Office business so much. Even then, I think David has been increasingly worried that something was wrong.

I came back to the Folly two nights ago. Finishing all the official reports for the Foreign Office and the Folly took a full day. After that I went looking for David. He was in his lab and was getting ready for another experiment. I was able to distract him for long enough to have a decent meal, but he wanted back to his lab. 

He’s been describing what he intended to do for a few minutes when Elizaveta showed up for a visit. She’s the one that’s been reading David’s draft monographs. David sends them to me with his letters and calls them “bedtime readings” as they “always put you to sleep when I read them to you.” He thinks he is being humorous. 

Elizaveta has the scientific training and was actually interested in David’s experiments. She has been making suggestions on the monographs and having me send them to David. I think she’s been looking forward to a chance to actually get in on an experiment at the design stage. So I let her take over in the lab and went to visit Anil instead. 

I was pulled back to the lab when Elizaveta said, “Mr. Mellenby!” in an outraged tone and realised the mistake. David was looking at us with a pained expression on his face.

“What is going on with you, Thomas?” He came closer and put his hand on my arm. “I’m worried about you. Are you being controlled by someone else somehow?”

“Of course not, David. Don’t be absurd.” I said.

“You just argued research methods with me for half an hour! And called me Mr. Mellenby! That is not you! What is going on with you?” His grip on my arm became painfully tight and he looked agitated. 

“I’ve been reading your monographs, that’s all. I must have been absorbing more of your knowledge than I thought.” He didn’t look convinced. 

“Don’t even try it, Thomas. Tell me the truth! This has been going on for a few years. You started talking to yourself. I thought it was early stage hyperthaumaturgical degradation! But you weren’t impaired in anyway. Instead you suddenly knew how to do so many things that you never have before.” He abruptly turned and walked away from me. 

After taking a few deep breaths, he came back to stand in front of me. “What has happened to you, Thomas? Just tell me.” 

The others have all arrived by now and I looked at them. Esme nodded at me. She told her husband about us ages ago. Zama agreed. He had to tell two of his shipmates. There were just no room shipboard for him to have a nice chat to himself without someone noticing. Anil said, “It’s your choice, Thomas. You know we won’t mind if you tell him.” Everyone nodded at that. 

Finally, Elizaveta gave my hand an encouraging squeeze and turned me to face David again. So I told him everything. 

I thought he might not believe me, but he just said, “That makes so much more sense than you suddenly taking an interest in my experiments.” I held back the urge to give him a wallop on the head. 

David arranged to have lab time with Elizaveta this morning and told me to go away. I left them to it and went to Elizaveta’s flat. She’s always forgetting to cook for herself, so I made her a nice lunch.


	3. 1935

5 March, 1935

I finally met with Zama for the first time today. His ship arrived at the Cape this morning and I was able to delay my departure for a few more days. It was so good to see him with my own eyes. 

“I’ll show you around, Thomas. You will eat like you have never eaten before!” Zama seemed determined to be my guide. I reminded him that I’ve been here before. “But Thomas, you would not have gone where I go. Not on your own.” I conceded his point and promised to follow wherever he wished. 

I suspected not all of his enthusiasm was due to my presence. He was just as glad to be off his ship after 2 months at sea.

We were at our third food stall of the day when the contractions began. Zama held me up or I would have fallen to the ground. Everyone visited at once and tried to help us stay calm. We were none of us expecting to be giving birth today. Zama walked me to his rooms and put me on the bed. The contractions kept coming. 

I thought we’d be prepared after Safiya and Esme’s body births. This was nothing like the body births. Well, perhaps not entirely dissimilar. I kept remembering Safiya’s birthing of her eldest. That little monster (sorry, Safiya) took over 24 hours. I was travelling on horseback that day. It was extremely unpleasant.

Zama went to fetch some water, so Safiya came to hold my hand. “Talk to the children, Thomas. They’ll need some reassurances.” Esme said. So I tried to talk to each of the children as they came. I couldn’t stay with any of them long. I kept jumping between them. And the next contraction is always coming. I just kept repeating myself. “Welcome to your new birth. I’m Thomas. Do not worry. This is real.” I also promised to answer their questions. They will surely have questions once they are over the shock.

It was only an hour or so for me to bring along all the children. I was exhausted.

Once I had a chance to recover, I realised that I accidentally created eight more hedge wizards. I didn’t foresee this, though perhaps I should have. I just never thought I’d be the one to give birth. I better warn the children against overusing magic. As soon as I had a rest.

Anil, mad man that he is, said he wish to give birth next. 

 

6 March, 1935

I gathered the children together this morning to caution them about magic. I need not have worried. It seems I only created 7 hedge wizards. One of the children was already a practitioner. Not Newtonian magic, but she knew magic. 

Wen-yun said “You are an Isaac?” when she realised what I am. I asked her what is an “Isaac”, and she seemed embarrassed. I gathered it’s not a term of respect and she wasn’t meant to say it to me. But she was surprised and looked unhappy that I was of the Folly.

“I’m not displeased, Father. It’s just that the wizards of the Folly do not seem to care for practitioners of other traditions. Some of my elders had dealings in England and was met with disdain. I do not wish for you to disapprove of me.” 

Many of my colleagues at the Folly certainly have no use for other magical traditions. The library has many books that describe their unpleasant encounters abroad. I have met non Newtonian practitioners during my travels. They are as varied in their manners as any group of people. I have long since decided to form my own opinions. 

Wen-yun said her junior apprenticeship is much like going to Casterbrook, though they do not have a formal school. Now she is studying with one of the expert teachers for her senior apprenticeship. This is her final year and she will soon be a master in her own right. 

I see an intelligent and gifted practitioner in her. I told her as much. “If it is allowed, I would appreciate an exchange so we may know each other’s practices better.” Wen-yun promised she will ask her teacher for permission. 

Elizaveta is already planning comparative magic experiments.


	4. 1942

10 August, 1942

I woke up to Zama’s panic and pain. We were already deep in the water. 

Mayu thought she saw light and kept us swimming up towards it. I cast water breathing to give us more time. We kept being knocked about by pieces of the ship and the churning water. Every time we were hit, we would be disoriented. I would cast water breathing again, and Mayu would find up again and we would swim. 

We felt another explosion nearby and were thrown sideways by the rush of water and debris. We couldn’t tell which way was up and just kept swimming to get away from the biggest pieces of debris. 

Zama must have been hit by something and knocked unconscious. I was suddenly back at the camp and couldn’t get back to him.

We gathered in Safiya’s garden and waited. We kept trying to find Zama but he was gone. 

 

1 December, 1942

Esme received the telegram about her son. He was just 20.


	5. 1943

21 February, 1943

The Folly send us the last group of boys to come out of Casterbrook. The school is shut for the duration of the war, so there will be no more coming. 

At least they came prepared with their own staves. Bertie said his own master came out of retirement to show them the ways. The Sons of Weyland always kept their own stockpile of steel rods or there would be none to be had by now. 

The whole group were sent up north for the last six months of their apprenticeships. It was as much to get them out of London as needing them to forge their staves. I don’t remember the Sons of Weyland’s house been overly spacious. How they fit all the boys in is a mystery. The smithy must have been going day and night to let them all finish in so short a time.

Bertie and I examined a few of the staves. The boys did good work. They’ll need them soon enough.


	6. 1945

4 April, 1945

Damn you, David. How could you do this?

Is this what life is to be now? A litany of death?

Zama. 

Esme’s son. 

My children.

Anil’s brothers.

Dobchin’s children. 

Safiya's

Mayu's. 

None of our children’s clusters are whole anymore. We are not whole anymore. 

The Folly is not whole anymore.

Damn you, David. You survived. You were supposed to have survived.


End file.
